Egg white is a standard food material. Egg white performs the functions of foaming and gelling. Because of the cost of egg white, numerous attempts have been made to develop various substitutes for egg white which can be used at a more economical price. Included within these attempts have been the use of whey proteins and whey protein concentrates and derivatives as substitutes for egg whites in cakes and in foaming. Similar substitutes have been prepared from other protein sources such as soy beans as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,672. The prior art references are directed to processes for preparing a whippable product since this has been one of the main commercial functions of the egg whites.
Egg white is also known to be gellable into a solid material such as found in hard boiled eggs. Until recently, there has been no substantial commercial need for this material. However, new products have been developed which make extensive use of the gelling characteristics of egg white. Illustrative of these products are the extruded simulated foods such as imitation shrimp which rely upon the egg white as a binder for the rubbery, chewy bite needed. Also a new product has been developed which can be considered a deviled egg roll wherein egg whites are gelled into a long tube and packed with deviled yolk. The roll is sliced into appropriate portions for serving. Another area of use is egg salad which contains a large proportion of diced coagulated egg white.
It has now been found that coagulated egg white can be economically replaced in food systems with a product which provides substantially equivalent mouth feel, taste and appearance.